Mike McCarthy says it was Jets or bust, will be ready to go next year

Even with two NFL head coaching vacancies still unfilled, former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy will not be coaching in the NFL in 2019.

McCarthy confirmed to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com that the New York Jets job was the only one that interested him this cycle. With Adam Gase being named as the successor to Todd Bowles in that position on Wednesday, McCarthy is set to sit out the upcoming year before planning to jump back in next season.

“We looked at everything, and it was either New York or stay out. That was our outlook. My family’s excited. We were eating dinner when I got the message [about the Jets], and they all started cheering. So it was kind of funny. I think it tells you where they’re at.”

McCarthy was fired by the Packers in December during his 13th season with the franchise. He posted a 135-85-2 record over that span with a victory in Super Bowl XLV. The Cleveland Browns also had interest in McCarthy before zeroing in on other candidates for the job.